Loyola celebrates Class of 2026 at 173rd Commencement ceremony
Âé¶čPorn celebrated the Class of 2026 at the Universityâs 173rd Commencement Exercises during a ceremony at CFG Bank Arena in downtown Baltimore on Saturday, May 16, 2026. Approximately 1,300 students received their bachelorâs, masterâs, and doctoral degrees during the ceremony.
The Commencement speaker, Carrie Fox, â01, received a doctor of humane letters, honoris causa, from Loyola. Fox is the founder and CEO of Mission Partners, a women-owned strategic communications firm that guides high-potential nonprofits, foundations, and socially responsible companies in realizing their greatest social impact.
âYour life's greatest joys will not be in what you accomplish alone, but in who you share it with,â said Fox. âSo, with each day that passes, and the further you get from this graduation day, I hope your spirit of radical kindness, inclusion, and empathy only gets better with age. I hope you find for yourselves that getting ahead in life isnât in how many people you push out of the way, but in how you treat people, who you bring along, and who you share it with.â
Jason Virts, â26, who graduated with a bachelorâs degree in data science, addressed his classmates during the ceremony.
âDonât forget the moments that almost broke you. Donât forget the people who helped you rebuild. Donât forget that you belong because you proved it to yourself,â he said. âWe made it. Now letâs go set the world on fire!â
Terrence M. Sawyer, J.D., president of Loyola, offered the Class of 2026 words of encouragement and wisdom as graduates prepared to embark on the next chapter of their lives.
âClass of 2026, youâve done it. Youâre on a path to success and significance,â he said. âYour greatest accomplishments will never be the money you make, the car you drive, or the house you live in. It will be the lives that youâve touched, the love that you gave, and the way you make all of us feel right nowâhopeful and proud and excited for whatever will come next.â
Also at the Commencement Exercises, awards were received by David F. Roswell, Ph.D., EMBA â85, who received the Carroll Medal, and the Rev. Timothy B. Brown, S.J., J.D., who received the Presidentâs Medal.